The induction of huge riches in football has created a massive divide between clubs. Owners of some clubs have so much money these days that they could buy any player they want. The desire to win the biggest of trophies often pushes these owners to spend more than what other clubs could even perceive. PSG, for example, gave a contract of over $200 million to Mbappe. That is more than the majority of clubs have spent in a decade!
A club spending obscene amounts of money on players is not just problematic for other clubs but it is for the entirety of the game as it becomes one-sided and boring. To stop this from happening, UEFA has set a ceiling for clubs which makes sure clubs don’t go overboard with their signing. Financial Fair Play or FFP is such a rule that punishes clubs for spending more than what they can bring in.
On Thursday, UEFA fined eight clubs for breaching FFP rules and have fined them a collective £149m for their expenditure. These clubs include PSG, Milan, Juventus, Inter, Monaco, Marseille, Roma and Besiktas.
Of these, PSG, Monaco, Marseille, Milan, Juventus and Besiktas have reached a three-year settlement with UEFA. Meanwhile, Inter and Roma have agreed to a four-year settlement.
Settlement agreements have been concluded with eight clubs who failed to comply with financial break-even requirements.
The clubs agreed to financial contributions, specific targets and conditional and unconditional sporting restrictions over the coming years.
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— UEFA (@UEFA) September 2, 2022
18 Football clubs on UEFA Watchlist
UEFA has also put 18 clubs on the list for further monitoring as they are on the verge of breaking compliance.
A UEFA statement on the issue read, “The CFCB First Chamber also observed that another 19 clubs that took part in the 2021/22 UEFA club competitions, namely Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Basel 1893, 1. FC Union Berlin, Fenerbahçe SK, Feyenoord, Leicester City FC, Manchester City FC, Olympique Lyonnais, Rangers, Real Betis Balompié, Royal Antwerp FC, Sevilla FC, SS Lazio, SSC Napoli, Trabzonspor A?, VFL Wolfsburg and West Ham United FC, were able to technically fulfil the break-even requirement thanks to the application of the COVID-19 emergency measures and/or because they benefited from historical positive break-even results (T-3 and T-4).
“The CFCB First Chamber reminded these clubs that as from the financial year 2023 these exceptional COVID deductions and consideration of historical financial results will no longer be possible. These clubs were further asked for additional financial information and will be monitored closely in the upcoming period. The goal of course is that the clubs’ overall financial situation is in compliance with the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations– Edition 2022 in coming years.”
